Truth Around the Campfire
by Elfprinzess
Summary: The party was attacked, sorcerers and bandits. Merlin responded without thinking, now everyone knows. How will Arthur react to the truth? - reveal oneshot. please read and review


**Hey there, this is just a reveal oneshot, I know, another one, god, how boring, right? I don't care, I get the idea stuck in my head, write it out, forget about it for months then find it, and feel like posting it, so I am **

**Spoilers for things up until season 3, so, yeah **

**Please read and review.**

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They sat around the campfire. That was all. No one spoke, no one dared to break the silence and tension of the situation. Gwen sat with her brother, staring at her husband worriedly. Gwaine sat on the other side of Elyan, watching the huddled form against the tree carefully. Leon and Percival sat on either side of their King, leaving space between them, swords gripped in their hands, ready for something, should something occur. Ready for what, they did not know. How do you choose between your King and your friend? How do you choose whether to help your King kill your friend or protect your friend who has been lying, but only to keep himself alive? Arthur was staring at Merlin, face hard and cold; emotionless. Merlin stared at the fire, staying curled up. His legs were tucked up into his chest, and his arms wrapped around his knees, with his hands bound in front of him.

"Why?" Arthur's voice was soft but emotionless, when he finally spoke.

Merlin looked away from the fire to study his King's face without saying a word.

"Why wouldn't you tell me?" Arthur repeated, his voice growing louder.

Merlin didn't say a word, just dropped his head back down to stare ate the fire.

"Why betray me like that? Why learn magic? When did you start? What were your plans?" Arthur continued, "ANSWER ME!" Arthur screamed as Merlin remained silent. "Tell me the truth Merlin." Arthur ordered, his voice wavering slightly with his anger and pain.

"Do you want to know the truth sire?" Merlin asked, "Or would you like the version that won't hurt as much?" Merlin lifted his head to stare at his King, all trace of the goofy servant gone.

Arthur stared back, silent for a moment, "The truth Merlin, I'm sick of people lying to me."

Merlin rested his chin on his knees and spoke, his voice quiet and soft while his eyes traced flickers of flames in the fire, "Twenty-six years ago, the King and Queen of Camelot were unable to conceive an heir. So King Uther spoke with the court sorceress at the time, Nimueh, and asked for a son. Nimueh told him she could grant him his wish, but it would come at a price. She told him that the Old Religion demands, for a life to be given, a life must be taken. Uther didn't care, so Nimueh did what was asked of her and Queen Ygraine fell pregnant. Nine months later, a prince was born. Seconds later, a life was taken." Merlin ignored Gwen's quiet gasp as she realised what that meant and he ignored Arthur's pained face. "Uther was angry, hurt and grieving, and blamed Nimueh for tricking him, which was justified, for she had tricked him, but he also blamed magic. He deemed all magic evil, and so the Great Purge began. Uther hunted down seers, witches, warlocks, druids and magical creatures. He gave rewards for tips, killed whole towns for hiding someone and fear spread. He tricked people who had previously been his friends into calling other magical people and beings to Camelot, under the guise of a truce and killed them all. He betrayed his friend, Balinor, a Dragon lord and tricked the man into calling the dragons in to their slaughter, save for one who was imprisoned beneath the castle. For years this went on, until there were no more magical beings left, except for those few who escaped detection and went into hiding. The Kingdom learnt to fear magic, to deem it untrustworthy, no matter what it did and magic was slowly drained from the land. The crops grew less luscious, the ground became less fertile and a drought occurred. Mother nature was affected by the lack of magic, as were the animals; species grew endangered and then disappeared altogether. The people starved, and had to live in poverty, unable to make money and ended up dead from illness or starvation or cold in winter. All of this happened in the three years after Uther began the Great Purge." Merlin paused to swallow against his dry throat.

"The Drought." Gwen murmured. All children learnt of the Drought, all adults who lived through it, the ones that survived it could tell stories of how much they had suffered and lost. Everyone knew of it, and everyone had had someone close to them die.

Merlin nodded to Gwen, "After three years of little crops, disappearing waters and rising death toll, there were great storms and the rivers flooded. The soil was moist again; the crops grew tall once more. On the same day the storms began, two things happened; a prophecy was told, and a boy was born."

"What was the prophecy?" Arthur asked, guessing (wrongly) where this was going, "That the Pendragon's would fall and all would be well?"

"That the Once and Future King would return magic to the land, which would prosper and the people, magical and non-magical alike, would live peacefully, with the help of Emrys, a powerful warlock." Merlin recited.

"Who is the king?" Elyan asked.

"Who is Emyrs?" Gwaine spoke as well.

"Shut up and let Merlin finish." Gwen scolded.

Everyone fell silent, except for Merlin who let out a snigger of amusement before continuing with his story, "The born at the start of the storms was known as Emrys to the druids, and had powerful magic, able to use it from when he opened his eyes. He'd levitate things or himself around, he'd cry and it would storm, he'd cut himself and it would heal over straight away. He grew up hiding his magic from all but his mother and a friend who found out, living peacefully and happily in the small town he was born in, until his 18th birthday. As he was growing up, his magic grew with him, and when he could no longer control it, his mother had no choice but to send him to the one person she could trust to teach him and look after him; Gaius."

"You're Emrys." Arthur scoffed, "Of course you are, I don't know why I didn't see it before." The sarcasm in his voice hurt Merlin, but the boy didn't show it, just continued with his story.

"I turned up at Camelot only to see a man executed for having magic, at the time, I had assumed he had done something with his magic that was horrible, but found out later that it was because a neighbour had reported suspicious activity at his house, so he was even guilty of anything but having a magical mother and being born. I watched as he was killed and his mother declared revenge. I found Gaius in his room and startled him. He was on the balcony, looking at some books, and he stumbled backwards. The railing was rotted and broke under his weight. I moved his bed underneath him to cushion his fall, then stupidly and horribly failed at denying all knowledge of what had happened and refuse to admit that I had magic. It didn't last a day. When you and I fought, at our second meeting, I used magic then to trip you up, and make your weapon get caught, but Gaius saw me and I stopped. When Mary Collins, the man's mother who sworn revenge, attacked, my magic kept me awake, and I used it to drop the chandelier on her, and then pull you out of the dagger's path. I brought Valiant's snakes to life early to reveal him in your final fight, so that everyone would see him as a liar and you would have a chance at surviving, because you were a much better swordsman then him. I used my magic to heal Gwen's father of the plague, and then used it to help you kill the Afanc."

"That's why he got better!" Gwen gasped, shocked.

Merlin nodded, "And I go you thrown in jail for it. I could've saved everyone, but then what? The plague would've continued, I would've had to have continued healing everyone and I would've been caught and unable to help anymore." Merlin spat, self-bitterness evident in his voice. "There have been so many people I could've saved, but didn't because I was too cowardly and couldn't bring myself to expose the truth." Merlin whispered, pain etched in his voice and shoulders that no one had thought the boy had ever experienced.

He fell silent, lost in memories, and no one spoke. Arthur stood up and moved to kneel in front of the boy. Arthur undid the rope, and gently led the boy onto a log, and sat next to him. "Tell us everything Merlin." Arthur ordered softly, wrapping an arm around his friend's shoulders.

Merlin leaned into the man's warmth and continued. He told them all about the different times Merlin saved the Kingdom, the people and Arthur himself. He spoke about the poisoned chalice, that Nimueh and tried to kill him with, and then how he had guided Arthur through the caves. He explained how Lancelot and his first meeting actually happened, how he forged the seal of nobility and then how they had worked together to kill the griffon. He told the truth about Edwin, the man's history and attempted assassination of Uther. He told Arthur about the time Sophia had tried to drown him to regain immortality with her people in Avalon. He spoke of the prophecy involving Mordred and his destiny to kill Arthur, and how he couldn't just let the boy die. He told them of the wrath that was Arthur's uncle that wanted to seek revenge on Uther, summoned by Nimueh, and destroyed with the blade Merlin had the dragon forge for Arthur, even though Uther used it. he told them about how Morgana had tried to have Uther killed for killing Gwen's father, but had chickened out at last minute. He explained the confusing story of when Arthur was bitten by the Questing Beast, how Melrin traded his life for Arthur, but Hunith's was taken so Gaius gave his for the woman to save Merlin from doing so and how Merlin killed Nimueh to save Gaius. He explained how Cedric had become possessed and then Merlin had stopped Sigan. He told them about the assassin, the one that tried to kill Arthur while he entered a tournament in disguise. Merlin told his audience about Morgana's magic flaring up, terrifying the girl and how he took her to the druids, which led everyone to believe she was 'kidnapped'. He spoke about all the times he attempted to stop the troll but was unable to do so until Uther broke free from the enchantment he was under and Arthur killed the troll. He told them of the witch-finder, and how Gaius had lied to protect Merlin, but the man had actually planted evidence so Merlin planted evidence to convict him and save Gaius. He explained how he had lied about Morgause's spell being a lie, and that Arthur had really been talking to his mother, but Merlin knew that if Arthur killed his father, the boy wouldn't have been able to live with himself. He told them of Freya, and how he wanted to run away but didn't, because Arthur had killed her. He told them all of how Trickler had drugged Arthur with a love potion to try and start a war between Olaf and Uther. He told them of how Morgana was the source of the sleeping sickness, and how he poisoned her to save everyone, but Morgause saved her and Morgana became bitter and angry at everyone in Camelot. He told them of how he had sworn to let the dragon free, and upon doing so, the dragon attacked Camelot. He told them of Balinor, his father and how when he died, Merlin became a Dragon Lord and ordered the dragon to never attack Camelot again, but didn't kill him. He told them all the different times Morgana and Morgause had tried to kill Arthur, Uther or take the kingdom and had been stopped. He told them of all the times he lied and all the times he used magic. He told them of all the battles he was in and won for Camelot, and all the times he had failed to save everyone. He told them how Morgana had ordered the bandits and magicians to attack the party on their way home, and he had had no choice but to act, protecting everyone and killing the attackers, revealing himself.

At the end of it all, the fire had began to die out, and everyone stared in shock at the manservant who had done so much for them all, and never asked for a single thing in return.

"I'm sorry for lying to you all, I'm sorry for committing treason. I regret having to lie and all that, but I would not change a thing, for I may have made mistakes, and caused horrible things to happen, I have done many things I am proud of, I have saved the people of Camelot, including you all and I would do it all over again, if it was what was necessary to save you all." Merlin finished.

"Well, you don't need to hide anymore." Arthur announced. "Magic isn't banned anymore, but there will be laws and restrictions that are sensible, like no killing and such."

Merlin turned to look at Arthur and he grinned at the blonde, "Thank you, sire."

"We should be the ones thanking you. You've saved our lives so many times, put up with so much pain and guilt and always shoved it to the side for us." Arthur announced, before blushing slightly at sounding so emotional. He then added, just to diffuse the girly-ness and make it more manly (kind of) "Stop calling me sire, it's creepy when you say it all respectful like you mean it."

"Yes sire."

"Merlin!"

"Yes sire?"

"Stop it!"

"Yes sire."

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**The End**

**Hope you enjoyed it, this is just one way that I wish Merlin could tell everyone, and have everyone react :-)**


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